AFGRUND

Apparently, the Swedish grind/death tank isn't empty yet because here comes another solid Swedish grind album called "Vid Helvetets Grindar" by a savage little trio called AFGRUND. I guess that should surprise no one, as Willowtip knows how to pick 'em. Rarely are poor choices made, so expectations are always high for new label releases.

The easy thing to proclaim is that if you like MUMAKIL, NASUM, or ROTTEN SOUND then you should find AFGRUND's new effort an appealing one. The typical elements are present, not the least of which is blasting speed and, most importantly, that distinctively Swedish manner of grinding that seeks first to kill, then to negotiate. If you're a grindcore lover, then you probably know it when you hear it. However, as relentless and cranium crushing as this album is, it does a little more than blast 'n gut the night away. Though not exactly atypical either, there is a thread of Swedish crust punk that rears its head from time to time, even if it's only in parts (e.g. "Kuken Som Vapen" — there are a handful of songs that are not sung in English) or in mutated form, such as with "A Burning Cross on your Perfect Lawn". It's that latter tune that benefits from the vocal pattern/tone variances, especially when the door is kicked wide open at the end and it is proclaimed, "A burning cross on your perfect lawn to celebrate your neo-Nazi spawn / Die, you bastard fuck!" Nazi bashing never gets old.

So across 15 tracks, the album moves along at a nice clip with attention paid to arrangement tweaking and neck-snapping moments, which includes some effective straight beats/grooves on songs like "T(h)rash Vortex", dollops of melody on "Maskin vs. Manniska" and "The Great Cover Up Apocalypse", and stop-start swamp grooves on "The Empire" and "Death Lovers" (with some especially effective dueling vocal parts). If you're all about Swedish grind, then you really can't go wrong with "Vid Helvetets Grindar". That the path travelled is well worn is of little significance to the dedicated.